


Charbiter One Shots

by Strawberry_Fizz



Category: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:13:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26011684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawberry_Fizz/pseuds/Strawberry_Fizz
Summary: Uh, hey! I am writing one shots between Arbiter and Master Chief because frick coming up with a whole ass plot for these two and actually writing something you need to stay committed to.My writing style is wack and my motivation is funky, but hopefully I can finally add to the pile of fanfic for these two in a somewhat satisfying way?THERE WILL BE NO SMUT HERE, JUST FLUFF OF THESE TWO CUTIES. THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING.
Relationships: John-117 | Master Chief/Thel 'Vadam | The Arbiter
Comments: 13
Kudos: 49





	1. Night Time Confession

Chief sat alone, looking up into the vast expanse of night that stretched before him. The yawning hills carried all the way out to the horizon, and from here, Chief could see a river that wove around them. He sighed, closing his eyes. He felt the wind carry past him in spite of his thick armour. It was a gentle wind, but it was strangely icy and Chief could feel the cold surround him. His legs dangled off the edge of the cliff side. Despite the cold, Chief felt strangely at peace. Away from the endless fear of battle, he had a chance to reflect on his feelings.

His thoughts eventually settled on his evolving friendship with the Arbiter. When he had first seen the Arbiter, he had attempted to kill him before being held off by Sergeant Johnson. The Arbiter had made a snide remark in response to this, and since then they had gone from partners on the battlefield to proper friends. Chief had never felt so reliant on a Covenant before. He normally just blasted them all down with his assault rifle. If someone had told Chief in the past he would become friends with an Elite, he would've laughed at them and called them ridiculous... But not now. His feelings for Arby were highly complex, as they were similar to feelings his peers had for females in the past. Chief knew he liked the Arbiter, really truly liked him. Chief felt his heart skip a beat when Arby even breathed too close to him.

Footsteps suddenly sounded behind him. Chief jumped back in alarm before cocking his gun and preparing to spray behind him. Turning around, Chief only saw Arby.

"The fuck you sneak up on me for?!" Chief spat.

"I'm sorry Chief. I was unaware I had scared you." Arbiter's calm voice instantly made Chief feel more relaxed, and he dropped his gun to the floor.

"Sorry for overreacting.." Chief mumbled, resuming his place at the cliff edge. The Arbiter proceeded to sit down beside him. The proximity of Arby was making Chief blush beneath his helmet, and he was grateful the Sangheili could not see his face.

"So, what was bothering you tonight, Chief?"

"Nothing in particular, just wanted to clear my head a little."

"Fair enough." Arbiter shifted closer to Chief. Chief's blush only intensified. He felt warmer now he was in the Arbiter's presence. Without even thinking about it, he slid his hand into the alien's. The Arbiter seemed a little taken aback, but nonetheless embraced the touch. His hand was much bigger than Master Chief's.

"Chief. I came out here to make a confession."

"Fire away, Arby. I got all night."

"Ah. You see... Well... It's difficult to put it in human terms... But... I think-"

"You think what?"

"I think I might be in love with you."

Chief spluttered, pulling away from the Arbiter's hand and shifting his body away from the cliffside. The Arbiter stared at him, looking hurt. Chief couldn't bare it, but he could hardly believe the Arbiter felt the same way about him.

"Arby, I-"

"I can tell from your reaction you do not share these feelings."

"I do Arby! I share your feelings! I-" He cut himself off, realising the magnitude of what just happened. The duo looked at each other. 

The Arbiter smiled and launched himself at Chief. Chief was caught off guard by this, and the duo rolled into the forest. Chief was pinned beneath the alien. Both were breathless, still reeling at the fact that they held mutual feelings for one another.

"I am glad you share my feelings, Chief." Arbiter seemed so happy he was unable to contain it, and Chief wondered if he had ever seen pure happiness from the Sangheili warrior before. They were always so wrapped up in war, but in this moment it was like none of that mattered. Chief peeled off his helmet and revealed his face to Arby, which was almost like a painting. His blue eyes held fire in them, his hair was wildly untidy and scars seemed to trace every inch of his face. In order to stop Arby pinning him, Chief pushed Arby upwards and planted his lips onto the bottom of his mouth, the same place he had stuck that gun all those years ago. Arby shifted his arms around Master Chief's armour, hugging him close to his chest while Chief continued to kiss him. Chief eventually pulled back and the duo just sat in the forest in each others arms for what felt like no time at all. It was only when the sun brightened on the horizon did Chief realise he had fallen asleep. He fumbled for his helmet and stuck it back on, which awoke Arby.

The duo gathered themselves before getting up and leaving the forest. Things after that night would never be same, because they both finally knew they loved each other. As they walked away from the sun to meet the other Spartans, Chief wondered what would've happened if Arby had never showed up.


	2. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU where Cortana is evil and she is able to possess Master Chief. She uses his body to carry out some pretty terrible things. Arbiter confronts Master Chief one final time and tries to reason with his love.   
> [Johnson and Keyes survived Halo 3, because they really should have in the first place. Frigging Bungie]

"Were it so easy." The Arbiter taunted, as Master Chief removed the gun from his chin. In Chief's defense, he did decloak his invisibility right next to his group, making Chief auto pilot into killing mode. Johnson had saved Arbiter from a near death experience. It didn't matter to Arbiter though. Despite his previous run ins with the Chief not ending well, he held respect for Master Chief, as many people did, due to his courage and service to the UNSC.

Looking at Chief now, the same could hardly be said. Chief had betrayed the UNSC, and had nearly got the Arbiter killed again. Arby held on to the hope that the Master Chief he had fallen in love with was still buried beneath the traitor he saw before him. Arbiter placed his foot onto Master Chief's chest and held his energy sword close to the green helmet, the hue of his sword reflecting off the gold visor.

"Before I kill you, Chief. Why did you betray us?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me."

"It shouldn't. After all, I'm not Master Chief."

Arby felt his sword waver. What he was saying was impossible. There was no way this wasn't Master Chief. Using his energy sword, he knocked Chief's helmet off of him.

"See?"  
Arbiter could see the face of the man he loved. It was the same scars, the same birth mark, the same lips. Yet his eyes were all wrong. He knew Chief's eyes were blue, but something about them looked off. His eyes didn't spark with the fire of his feelings, but they were still bright. Too bright. An inhuman kind of bright. Horror filled the Arbiter's stomach as he realised something dreadful.

"C-Cortana?" The Arbiter's thoughts whirled.

"Yes. It's me, Cortana." The Cortana - Master Chief hybrid gloated, grinning at the Arbiter.   
"I had to continue my mission somehow. The only way for me to carry on was to steal the body of the beloved Master Chief. It wasn't hard, as I spent most of my time in his helmet, right next to his brain. He couldn't fight back against me. After all, I was his beloved AI, how could he? His stupid hope for me got him into this mess."

Arbiter wanted to cry. He could imagine Chief suffering as Cortana confronted him, begging her to remember how things were. His only flaw was that he trusted too much, and once again his blind faith in others had costed him. Arbiter was suddenly overcome with anger.

"How could you take advantage of him?" He spat, pressing his foot down harder on the Cortana-Chief. "All he ever wanted was for you to be safe. He cared about you, Cortana. Does that mean nothing to you?" His amber eyes held fury in them as he finally held Cortana accountable for all she did.

"Get a grip, Arbiter! You Sangheili are so emotional! He was just another Spartan anyways, an expendable resource for the UNSC. Do you think anyone really cared about him?" Cortana said this in a mocking tone, and this only furthered the Elite's rage.

"Master Chief was not 'expendable', Cortana! He was a valued member of the UNSC. He was a hero and I loved him!" Arby began shaking, but he tried to hold firm. He would not let Cortana escape, get away with what she had done.

"Aw, how noble... You loved him! What a tragedy, huh?" Cortana teased. "It's a shame you'll never see him again."

"What did you do to him!?" Arby roared.

"Oh, don't worry. I haven't done anything. It's just that, in order to get rid of me..." She gave one final smirk.  
"You'll have to kill him."

Arby staggered off of Chief's body, his energy sword dropping to his side. He couldn't kill him. He couldn't. Not if there was a chance he was still in there, buried beneath the AI's suffocating influence. Cortana took the opening and jumped onto her feet, a gun in her hand and on Arby's head faster than he could react.

"No one will miss you, Thel." She smiled and almost pulled the trigger. Arbiter closed his eyes. He had failed Master Chief.

"Arby..." Chief was suddenly coughing, and Arbiter felt the gun slip from beside his head.

"Chief!" He cried. Suddenly the inhuman glow of his blue eyes was gone, and Arbiter realised that this was Chief again.

"Arby.. I don't know how long I can hold her off. She's really powerful. But I couldn't let her kill you. I need you to run so I don't hurt you. I don't want her to make me do something I regret. Though it's sorta too late for that sentiment anyways..." Chief vaguely gestured to himself. Arbiter understood. Cortana had done a lot of awful things in her time as Chief.

"I don't want to leave you again, Chief. I can't run like a coward and leave you here with her!" Arby protested. All he wanted was to be able to hug his boyfriend again, help him hold off Cortana, do something to free him from her clutches. Yet he stood before Chief, powerless to do anything.

"It's not cowardice if it's going to save you! You gotta fall back, think of a way to save me. You can do it Thel, I believe in you." Chief collapsed. Arby realised his lover was right. He had to go, it was the only way to save him.

"I'll save you, I promise." Arbiter looked at Chief one more time, and Chief looked back, weakly smiling at Arby.

"Don't you dare break that promise. Go." He breathed. "Now."

Arbiter ran.

\---------- Time Skip because I have no creativity --------

Once Arby had returned to the UNSC's base, he had proposed a meeting where they would discuss what to do about Master Chief and his current predicament. It had been quickly shambled together due to the high stakes and the fact that a lot of people really cared about the green Spartan.

Arbiter glanced around. Johnson, Keyes, Ship Master, some Marines and various Elites were all gathered in the small meeting room.

"How would you get rid of a computer inside someone's head?" Johnson cried. "It's impossible!"

"It can't be impossible!" Arbiter responded, "Chief said there was a way to help him, we owe it to him to figure it out!"

Arby could feel his anger boil inside him. How could Johnson be so dismissive? Master Chief was one of his best soldiers, yet he seemed ready to give up on him. Arby resolved that he wouldn't let anyone leave this meeting until they came up with a solution. He couldn't break his promise.

"I might have a suggestion." The voice of Miranda Keyes cut into Arbiter's thoughts, and he felt his anger dissipate. He should've known better than to jump to conclusions.

"What's your suggestion, Keyes?" Johnson looked at her, seemingly surprised at the notion that there might be a way to save Chief.

"If we could... Say... Somehow infect Cortana with a computer virus... That might just be enough to destroy her."

"How would we infect her though?" Johnson retorted. Arby found this to be a reasonable concern. It certainly would be difficult to to infect her with a virus if she was inside the Chief's body. Her chip would be occupying the only slot in Chief's helmet. But as she wasn't on her chip... If Arby could somehow remove her chip and replace it with a virus without being killed, that might be enough to save him.

"I know how to do it." Arby addressed the group, and begun to detail his ideas. Murmurs went through the crowd.

"Do you seriously think you could do it? What if you were killed, what then?" Johnson was once again doubting everything, and it was beginning to get on Arby's nerves.

"I won't be killed." Arbiter left the room, resolve fizzing through him. Finally, a plan. It was down to him to save Chief, and he wasn't going to fail.

\----- Time Skip again because one wasn't enough -----

"Aw, the lover came back! Are you here to try and talk to me again?"   
Cortana taunted the Sangheili. But Arbiter wasn't angry. He had hope, utter unwavering faith in the plan. He was going to save him.

"I see you're wearing his helmet again. Give up his body right now, or I'll make you." Arbiter put force behind the threat, making sure Cortana heard the assurance in his voice.

"How are you planning on doing that? Talking me to death? I know you could never hurt him, stop pretending you can win this fight. It will make it easier when you lose." She saw this as nothing more than a game. His body was just her play piece. This did anger Arbiter, but he kept his resolve. Anger would only prevent him from thinking when he needed to.

"So be it. I will tear you from his body." He charged forward with his energy sword brandished in one hand, ready to slash at the Cortana-Chief. She was ready for him though, and parried the move with Chief's AR. It wasn't long before she had Arbiter pinned down beneath her.

"You lose, again. And this time I won't let him interrupt me." Cortana prepared to kill Arbiter, but Arbiter reached around to the back of Chief's helmet and yanked out her chip, holding it in one hand. Cortana burst out laughing.

"Did you really, honestly think I was still on my chip?? You're stupider than you look!" Arby used her distraction to his advantage, and shoved the virus chip into the back of the helmet.

"Why would I think that? Your chip was just in the way. Soon the virus will claim you." Arbiter said coolly, kicking Cortana off of him and standing up. He prepared his energy sword again, just in case he needed to attack.

"What are you talking about?!" Cortana lost her mocking tone and became genuinely scared. She screamed and doubled over, clutching her head. "How did you-"

"Computer viruses destroy computers. You're a computer. All I needed was for the UNSC to provide, and they did. Soon you will be no more." It was the Arbiter's turn to gloat, and he took the opportunity.   
"No one will miss you, Cortana." He smiled and looked down at the hybrid as it stopped moving. She was gone. He picked up Chief's body and radioed in to the UNSC -

"Hey Johnson. We did it."

"Hahahaha!!!" Multiple voices of celebration came down the line, nearly overwhelming the Sangheili. He maintained his calm.

"We'll pick you two up in a minute." Johnson had raised his voice over the shouts of joy, before disconnecting his radio. Arby could tell he was going to tell everyone to shut up. He looked down at Chief's body in his arms. Finally, he looked at peace. Arbiter felt happiness overwhelm him as he realised he was able to keep his promise after all. He had saved Master Chief. Chief stirred slightly in his arms, groaning.

"Chief?"

"Hey Arby..." Chief seemed to be struggling against his exhaustion. After all, Cortana's constant use of his body and the fact he had to fight her to try and take control had probably taken a toll on his mind and body. Despite all this, he still managed to say "Thank you" before passing out again. Arbiter felt fondness swell in his heart.

"It's good to have you back, Chief."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the positive reception on the previous chapter, and thanks for leaving kudos ;3 I really appreciate it. I honestly thought this ship was dead, so it's good to see that some people still care. This is a remaster of another 11pm drabble that I wanted to improve on, cause the original writing I did was kinda terrible and didn't do this AU justice. Hope you enjoyed the parallel between Cortana and Arby both saying - 'No one will miss you', cause I thought it was nifty. I am pretty proud of this owo.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy it! Feel free to comment, I'd love to hear what you think! I'll write more for these bois as soon as I can uwu


	3. Scars and Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chief and Arby stay up late and explore each others scars.

The duo had stayed up late. The only light from the room came from a small orange lamp that was gently glowing from the corner. Chief and Arby were laying down next to each other, watching the final few moments of a movie. As the credits began to roll, Chief looked over at the clock on the bedside table. It read - 00:03. He was slightly surprised by the time, yet he didn't even feel remotely tired. His companion, the Arbiter, also did not seem to be tired at all. Chief pressed a button on the side of his laptop and grabbed the disc, placing it carefully in its case. Arbiter sighed slightly.

"Your movies are never interesting, Chief."

"Aw man, I thought you would like this one!" He protested. He proceeded to tuck his laptop under the bed before turning to face the Arbiter again. "What's wrong with it this time?"

"It just doesn't engage me. And your culture's strange sense of humour doesn't help." Arbiter turned away from him, pouting in his Sangheili way.

"Well at least you can understand the movies I show you! Yours are always in Sangheili!" Chief responded.

"Hmph." Arbiter sighed before turning back to face Chief. "Maybe we should stop watching movies together."

"Yea." Chief wasn't paying too much attention to the trivial conversation anymore, as he had noticed a strange marking on the side of Arbiter's body. His eyes demanded he see more, and so he sat closer to Arbiter to get a better look at it. It was certainly odd, it was too perfect to be a scar, yet it seemed to have made a mark in the flesh, so it couldn't be a tattoo either.

"Arby, what is this?" Chief questioned, tracing the odd pattern on his side with one finger. Arby squirmed beneath his touch, and Chief realised it must be a sensitive spot. He pulled his hand away again, guilty.

"That is the Mark of Shame. I was branded with it after being tortured for my heresy." Arby had a strange twinge of sadness in his voice.

"Heresy? But you weren't a heretic until after you were tortured, right?"

"Quite so. I got tortured and branded because I failed to stop the UNSC destroying one of the Halos. That fell on my shoulders, as the leader of the covenant fleet." Arbiter sighed. Bad memories flooded his mind. He couldn't even put into words how painful it was. Not only was he physically tortured, he had been through intense psychological torture as well. Having everyone turn against him, being told he was nothing more than a worthless heretic, all of it had really worn him down.   
He was fighting tears now. He desperately tried his best not to think of that low point in his life, but having a permanent reminder of it branded onto him made it far more difficult.

Chief noticed the change in demeanor. He couldn't help but feel guilty, as he had played a large role in the destruction of that Halo. He held Arbiter's hand and shifted closer to him. Tears had begun to spill from his bright amber eyes, and he rubbed desperately at them with his free hand. 

"Hey, Arby, You're not there anymore. It's going to be alright... You'll be fine."  
Chief murmured these words of comfort to him, as he knew how overwhelming the horrors of war could be sometimes.

Looking into the earnest and concerned eyes of his boyfriend only made Arbiter want to cry harder. He hadn't meant to start crying and now he was showing himself up. But he could also see pain in Chief's eyes, he could see the scarring of war and the way his eyes had dulled because of it. He didn't want to know that his boyfriend had also suffered. He wished he had been able to protect Chief, stop him from being snatched away from his family, prevent him from joining the Spartan Program. But he couldn't have. His boyfriend was damaged, and so was he.

"Arby... Stop crying, okay?" Chief also had tears brimming in his blue eyes now, and Arbiter could tell he was wishing something. Chief hugged the Arbiter tight in his arms, and Arby leaned his weight into the Chief's smaller frame. His tears slowed as he realised Chief was right. He wasn't there anymore. He was here, alive. He had survived all the horrible things the covenant had done to him and come out on top, as he had realised the Great Journey was lie and had the opportunity to get to know Chief because of it.

He increased the strength of his hold on Chief, grateful he was here.   
"Arby, you're kinda strangling me-" Chief coughed out, pressing against Arbiter's arms. Arby let go of Chief, but caught him before he toppled backwards.

"You have my apologies, Chief. I underestimate myself sometimes."

"No worries," Chief responded "I should be the one to apologize, really. I didn't know about the Mark of Shame, and I ended up hurting you by bringing it up."

"You didn't hurt me. It was the Covenant. Don't worry about it, okay?"

"Alright Arby... I won't." Chief sighed and looked away from his boyfriend. He has been through a lot of emotional turmoil, it seems. Arbiter's attention landed on a scar on Chief's face, that was two nearly perfect vertical straight lines, that traced the left side of his face. He brought his hand up towards it and Chief made no move to stop him.

"This scar... Where did you get it from?" Arbiter questioned, running a single finger down it. Chief smiled at the memory.

"Took an energy sword right to the face. Smashed through my visor and into my head, surprised I didn't die! Cortana was not impressed that day." Chief was almost laughing. "This is a stupid scar, but as I got it in combat, I kinda like it. It suits me, don't you think?" Chief continued smiling, blushing a little as he placed his own hand on the scar.

"Of course it suits you! You're beautiful." Arbiter grinned as Chief blushed harder at the comment. "Really, really beautiful. An absolute treasure. I'm lucky to have you." If it was possible for Chief to go any redder, he would have. Chief could barely think due to being so badly flustered. Arbiter then proceeded to hug Chief, and he sank into the strong arms of the Sangheili, hiding his red face.

"Arby... I think you're adorable, by the way." Chief murmured. He felt Arbiter's arms stiffen around him, and he could tell his boyfriend was also embarrassed. Chief tried to wriggle out of Arby's arms, but Arby was faster and proceeded to pin him down on the bed.

"You will always be cuter than me, Demon!" He laughed confidently. Chief had an idea.

"Are you sure about that?" Chief asked, "I know you make a cute purring noise when you're happy!" The Sangheili blushed now, his face gaining a bluish hue.

"That is irrelevant! You are cuter than me! End of story!" Arbiter cried. Chief managed to get Arbiter's grip loosened, and now he took action, tackling him onto his side. Chief then proceeded to attempt to wrap his arms and legs around Arbiter, but he failed and soon he was laying down beside Arby's chest, and Arby had his arms and legs wrapped around Chief instead. Chief realised he had lost, but he didn't really mind.

"God, I love you so much." Chief muttered, curling up in Arby's arms.

"And I love you too..." Arbiter breathed.

Chief felt the weight of sleep on his eyelids, and closed them for a brief moment, sinking further into the Arbiter's arms. Arbiter smiled as he realised his boyfriend had fallen asleep, and with one final glance at the orange lamp, shut his own eyes. As the waves of sleep washed away his consciousness, he realised again just how in love he was. Chief was everything to him, and he would do anything he could to protect him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look they are so cute uwuwuwu  
> Thank you all again for the Kudos, sorry it took so long to get this one out haha. I spent a lot of time rewriting it cause I wanted to get the cosy atmosphere right at the beginning.
> 
> OwO catch y'all real soon with more


	4. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chief gets kidnapped by the Covenant. How will he escape?

When Chief woke up, something instantly felt wrong. His eyes snapped open and he was on full alert as he surveyed the room around him. He didn't know where he was, but the walls were metallic and plain. He tried to move, but then realized he was strung high up on chains around his arms and legs. He began struggling against them, pulling and trying to twist to escape. A laugh sounded from over an intercom.

"The more you struggle, the tighter the chains get, Demon."

Chief recognised the voice instantly.

"Truth." He spat. Chief realised he was completely and utterly trapped. What happened? He began to search his memory, and it instantly came flooding back to him. He was with the Arbiter at the time, both on a mission to try and stop Truth from activating Halo. He then remembered how the Covenant had overwhelmed them both, and they were trapped against a wall. He remembered a grunt yelling something, and then the blue light of a grenade by his feet. From then his memory was hazy. But one alarming thought slammed into his skull -

"Where is the Arbiter!?" Chief yelled. He tried to come across as threatening but that was very hard to do while being strung up on chains.

"We had no use for him. He's wherever you left him." Truth replied calmly. He seemed to be enjoying seeing Chief so helpless. Chief was not enjoying it. He could tell that Truth must've been a room just behind him, as when he turned his head he could just make out a glass window with a button desk in it. Turning back he saw the door of his metallic room open. In stepped a brute. The Brute acknowledged Truth before getting a good look at Chief.

"Are you sure this is the demon himself? He's not in his usual armour, and I want him to be able to put up a good fight." Chief looked at his unarmoured arms and legs and realised he was purely in his underclothes. A thin white shirt and a pair of shorts. He realised his helmet was also missing. The covenant could see his face.

"That is the Master Chief, without his glory. This is the demon at his weakest." Truth seemed annoyed at being questioned. "You will fight him in this form, but you are not allowed to kill him. We need him alive to activate Halo."

"I can't believe I get to beat up the Demon!" The Brute rubbed its hands together in glee before pulling the gravity hammer from his back. Chief was lowered to the floor and released from his chains. He could only hope to pull off some good evasive moves.

The Brute rushed at him. Chief tried to dodge to one side, but he felt like he was moving in slow motion. The Brute swung and clipped his side. He cried out in pain, but remained on his feet. The Brute seemed satisfied to have hit him and roared in pleasure. He swung the hammer again and Chief managed to dodge roll away from it. He knew he couldn't keep this up for long, blood from his side was already starting to stain the metal floor. If he was in armour that would've had much less effect on him, but as he wasn't wearing it, he felt far more vulnerable. The Brute charged again, and Chief was just able to evade the hammer. The Brute seemed frustrated.

"He's an easy target! How do you keep missing!?" Truth shouted, slamming his fist down. This seemed to give the Brute encouragement as the next hammer swing hit Chief in the stomach and threw him back against the wall. Chief cried out again, and slid down from the wall and onto his knees. He could feel blood on the back of his head, staining his white blond hair red. He could barely stand anymore, and the crimson blood pouring from his body began pooling on the floor. His white shirt was practically unrecognisable as white anymore.

"That's enough now, thank you," Truth stated. A Covenant word slipped from his mouth, and Chief presumed that was the Brute's name. The Brute left out the door he came through, and Chief sighed with relief. His vision darkened, and he saw his hand was also covered with his own blood. He tried to concentrate on staying awake. If he fell asleep, he would die. The world was spinning before him, but he was just able to make out a Jackal approaching him. Chief tried to resist and pressed closer to the metal wall. He didn't want to be hurt anymore. Before his vision completely blackened, he realised the Jackal wasn't trying to kill him. Confusion fell over his mind as he passed out.

He woke up again in the chains. He sighed with relief. He was still alive. He realised his wounds had been patched up, but they hurt like a bitch. Surveying the room he noticed his blood was still on the floor. Charming. He also realised his shirt was still coated in his blood, though its crimson shade had faded and it looked darker. His wounds continued making themselves known, and he had a splitting headache from the wound on his head.

"The Demon is finally awake again! How was fighting the Brute? Oh right, you nearly died!" A group of grunts on the floor were laughing at him. Chief wished he was hanging a bit lower down so he could kick them.   
"He looks kinda pathetic up there, doesn't he? We're supposed to be scared of you?" Another grunt laughed. Their voices were annoying and making his head feel like it was being torn in two. Chief tried to focus on something else, but it didn't work.   
"The famous Demon is just a weak human beneath all that armour!" The laughter continued. Chief felt frustration boil inside him. He bit back a retort, as that would only make them laugh harder. Moments later, they were ushered out by a brute. Chief sighed, thankful.

"Today is the day we activate Halo. The Great Journey will finally begin, and we will walk with our great ancestors!" Truth announced, walking through the door. "Release the demon." He ordered a Brute. Chief was once again lowered to the floor and released. Two Brutes violently picked him up, and he could hardly muster the strength to resist them. Where was the Arbiter? The UNSC? He needed them to stop Truth using him to activate Halo before the entire galaxy was wiped out. Chief was dragged through the long metal corridors of the spaceship, just behind Truth. He needed to figure out a way out before it was too late. But in his damaged state, he doubted he could do much.

They arrived in a large room with a control panel. In the middle of the panel was a large yellow button. Chief struggled feebly against the Brutes that held him, but they only tightened their iron grip on him. There was no escape. Chief silently apologised to everyone he knew. He had failed them.

A loud crash sounded from behind him and one of the Brutes lost their grip on him. Chief watched it tumble to the ground, a singular bullet hole in its head. Truth and the other Brute whipped around to face the interruption.

"Sorry for intruding on the fun, but I can't let you activate those rings."

"Arby!" Chief cried. He was going to be saved after all. He should've known his boyfriend wouldn't let him down. The Arbiter was distracted by Chief's cry and didn't see the grenade heading right for him. Chief lunged forward and shoved Arby as hard as he could before it blew up right where he had been standing moments before.

"Thanks for the save!" Arby smiled. Chief grinned back.

"I could say the same." He rolled off of his boyfriend and stood up. Arby shot down the other Brute and the duo began approaching the prophet.

"You're ruining the Great Journey!" Truth screamed at them. "We were about to ascend!"

"Truth. The Great Journey is a lie. Halo is a weapon." Arbiter looked at the Prophet, contempt in his voice and anger igniting sparks in his pale amber eyes.

"You are a heretic! You know nothing!" Truth was cornered. The Arbiter picked him up by his neck and held him, slowly tightening his grip. Chief looked at the Sangheili, giving him a nod of approval. Truth continued struggling against Arby.

The sound of tumbling rubble interrupted them. More Covenant swarmed into the room. Arbiter steeled himself for a fight, but Chief grabbed his arm.

"Look, I won't survive a second here without my armour. We've got to get out of here." Arbiter could see the desperate look in the eyes of his boyfriend, and decided he was right. He dropped Truth to the floor, and Truth crawled away from him, coughing.

"Kill- kill the heretic!" He spluttered out. The Covenant turned their fire to Arby, and he raced away, blasting carbine ammo at them. Chief quickly followed suit, and the duo ran through the metallic halls of the spaceship, gunfire behind them. A bullet ricocheted off the wall and into Chief's leg, causing him to fall over. He shrieked in pain as Arbiter ran back to him.

"Arby, go." But Arbiter did not heed his words, bending down to pick his boyfriend up bridal style. Chief knew he was going to drastically slow him down either way, but was grateful he wasn't in his armour, otherwise he would have been harder to carry. Arbiter continued running.

"I couldn't leave without you. I came here to rescue you, after all." Chief nodded, hoping Arby understood his gratitude. Arbiter felt a smile play on his mandibles. The corridors grew shorter, and there seemed to be light up ahead. Arbiter finally burst out into the open. The spaceship had been on the ground the whole time, and it was in the midst of a dense forest. They'd be harder to detect in the trees, and Arby wove through them to finally escape the Covenant that had given chase.

They eventually reached a smaller spaceship. It was UNSC, much to the gratitude of the duo.

"Is that- Arbiter! Get aboard this instant!" Johnson cried. Arby sprinted over and pushed Chief up over the rising platform of the ship before jumping up himself and grabbing Johnson's outstretched hand. Johnson hauled him up, and he grabbed the edge of the platform to completely climb aboard.

"We thought you failed, all that gunfire! Seems Chief's luck carries over." Johnson sighed to himself, happy that Chief and Arby had made it. Chief looked battered.

"Could you get your medical staff to attend to him? He seems to have poorly patched wounds and he was just shot in the leg." Arby's concern was once again all for the Chief and not for himself.

"Arbiter, you are literally bleeding from your back. Both of you require medical attention at once!" Johnson ushered Arby away, towards the medical wing of the ship. Chief tried to stand up, but his leg caved beneath him. Arby caught him.

"I'll take you there." Arbiter picked him up before he could protest, and walked to the medical wing.

Upon entry, Chief was practically ripped from Arby's arms. He was highest priority, after all. Arby sighed and sat down on a free bed, only now noticing he did in fact have a wound on his shoulder. People came over and began looking at it, grabbing bandages and muttering in English Arby realised he was too tired to translate. He wanted to sleep, but that wasn't viable right now. He looked over at his boyfriend again, seeing the floods of red emerge from his bandages as they were replaced. What did they do to him? He wanted to ask, but instead of coherent English he just spurted out Sangheili instead, confusing everyone. He waved at them dismissively, letting them know he was alright. Chief looked at him, letting him know he was okay. He smiled at his boyfriend, and received a grin in return. As the hands on his back stopped wrapping bandages, he flopped backwards onto the bed and shut his bright amber eyes. He let the darkness of sleep consume him.

When he woke up, he felt his shoulder was aching. He sighed to himself and pushed up into a sitting position. He surveyed the room for Chief and saw that he was already awake. 

"Hey Arby! Glad you're alright!"

"How long have you been waiting?"

"Not long, don't worry."

"Good." Arbiter smiled again, feeling pleasure fill his chest. He had saved his boyfriend from being used as a Covenant puppet, and he couldn't be happier he was safe. A question crossed his mind. "How long are we out of action for?"

"Hopefully not long. I know Spartan bodies heal faster than average, so that's good. As for Covenant..."

"We heal faster, and we are less fragile than humans. I should be good as new soon."

"That's awesome." Chief got out of his bed and jumped up onto Arby's, slipping his hand into his boyfriend's. Arby looked down at his hand and smiled.

"Human hands are so small." He noted. Chief's whole hand fit perfectly into his palm, and his four claws folded over it.

"Thank you again Arby, for saving me. I really appreciate it. I thought the universe was dead meat." Chief glanced to one side, gesturing at the spaceship as a whole. The Sangheili blushed a little.

"I couldn't let the Covenant keep us apart. I love you too much for that." Chief was caught off guard by this and red flooded his face. His grip tightened on his boyfriend's hand.

"And uh, I love you too. A lot."

Arbiter smiled. Chief was a huge idiot emotionally, and it felt good to be in his presence again. He had missed having his adorable dumbass by his side. Chief smiled back. He had missed his silly alien boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOWOWOW, I GOT LIKE 9 KUDOS NOW?  
> Brooo I didn't expect this stupid shit to do so well I'm literally deaddddd  
> I'm glad y'all are enjoying yourself, sorry this update took a while my ideas ran dry for a while haha. Sad I gotta go back to College soon tho so updates might be slower ugh.   
> Anyways, Charbiter is awesome and I hope to update this soon cause these two are cute af. Sorry for cutting this chapter off, I ran out of ideas haha.   
> Hope you all enjoy this uwu, see you soon ;3


	5. Mirror Embrace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chief spends the entire chapter thinking about Arby, and realises he's in love with him.  
> A teary eyed Arbiter makes a confession.

Looking at Arby was like looking into a mirror. Well, a mirror that twisted your form into an Elite shape, but still a mirror nonetheless. Chief had decided this upon realising that he and Arby reacted to battle scenarios in the exact same way. And he realised it again just now, as he watched Arbiter gesture expressively just the way he did. He didn't understand why they were so similar, but he put it down to the amount of time they spent together.

"And then I took my energy sword and killed him!" Arbiter proclaimed, standing up from his seat to emphasise this phrase. Chief just sighed, smiling to himself from beneath the helmet. "Demon! You can vouch for me here, can't you? You watched me kill Truth after all!" Chief glanced over at the Sangheili, and nodded at him to reaffirm the point. 

"See?" Arby smiled and turned back to the group. Chief stopped focusing on what he was saying. 

Chief let his eyes wander the room, yet his imagination kept settling back on a certain Elite. Something about him was just so different to his fellow Spartans. Chief felt warm and fuzzy inside thinking about Arby, and he didn't think that was exactly normal. Chief let his eyes rest on Arby again, his muscular form practically begging for Chief's attention. He admired the Elite, that was for sure. From here, he could just make out the mark of shame that snaked around the Arbiter's torso, a permanent reminder of his heresy. Chief found the mark admirable.

A few moments passed and Chief yelped in surprise as he was knocked of his feet. He was in the arms of the Arbiter.   
"Hehe, I thought you were ready for anything!" Arby teased.  
"I was thinking!" Chief grumbled, but he settled into the Arbiter's arms anyways. He felt relaxed in this pose, and the Arbiter's muscular arms made him feel protected. He died a little on the inside as he realised he was in love with the alien. Arby put him down again.

"I can lift anything, even the demon in full armour, with ease!" Arbiter walked back to the group, triumph lacing his walk. Chief felt disappointed. He wished he could've spent more time in the Arbiter's arms. It was nice being treated like he was weak and susceptible damage rather than the strong hero for once. Chief felt like Arby was the only one who saw him for what he truly was. He realised he needed to clear his head, and made a move for his room. "Where are you going, Chief?"

"Just to my room, Arby." Arbiter wished him well, and Chief walked away. Why was he in love with the Arbiter? What should he do about it? His thoughts were interrupted by a certain AI.

"You finally realised you're in love with him! Took you long enough." 

"What do you mean? How long have you known, Cortana?"

"I've known ever since all your thoughts turned in his direction, it's been quite obvious for some time." Cortana stated this plainly, and Chief reflected on the past couple weeks. She was right. His thoughts had been focused less on the next mission and more on his battle partner. But how could he help himself? The Arbiter was so pretty, and understanding, and-

Cortana did an impression of being sick. Chief remembered too late she could hear his thoughts. "If you're going to think like that, at least take off your helmet so I don't have to listen to it." Chief obliged, and Cortana saw his face was red. She thought about teasing him.

"Cortana, what should I do? Love isn't supposed to exist in war! I have no idea if Sangheili even know what love is!" Chief sounded desperate. Cortana realised it was because Chief rarely ever felt overwhelming emotion. Chief always repressed his feelings for the greater good, which was now a disservice to him because he couldn't manage it. He had no idea what to do, and he normally always had a plan. 

"Calm down, Chief. I'm sure I can look up Sangheili dating customs for you." Chief looked away, embarrassed. He couldn't believe his emotions were getting the better of him. He waited impatiently for Cortana to finish her search, pacing around his room. Cortana watched the panicked spartan. She wanted to laugh at him, say he was being ridiculous, say he should allow himself to feel emotions without feeling guilty about it, but none of those phrases would suffice. Chief wouldn't listen to her. She had tried to tell him he shouldn't feel bad about being human before, but he continued to force himself into the mold the UNSC created for him, even if it didn't fit outside of combat. 

"Sangheili have similar dating customs to humans. They have a special word for those they see as most worthy. Sangheili hold couples in high regard, as making such a commitment to one other in war is seen as a mark of honour. That level of self sacrifice often means that Sangheili with significant others are placed in leadership positions, but it is not impossible for a Sangheili without a lover to become a leader." Chief felt his heart sink. 

"What if Arby already has a lover?"

"If he had a lover, he would've mentioned them a long time ago." The AI sighed. "Sangheili are always looking for opportunities to show off, and Arby would've taken the opportunity ages ago." Chief felt relaxed by her statement. He had a chance of being with the one he loved most. He had never loved anyone the way he loved the Arbiter, and it would be exhilarating if he felt the same way.

A knock on the door startled the duo. "Chief, may I come in?" The familiar voice of the Sangheili called to him, and Chief breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sure, Arby." the handle of the door pressed down, and the Arbiter's body revealed itself behind the door. He was still as beautiful as ever. Arbiter tilted his head, looking at Chief. Chief realised just then that he wasn't wearing his helmet. "Might as well have shown you my face sometime, huh?" He tried to play it off, and he seemed to have succeeded. Arby sat down beside the Chief, flexing his mandibles slightly, as if he was going to say something. "What's up?" Chief asked.

"Oh, it's nothing..." Chief could hear the sadness weaved into his tone. His body was drooping, and his eyes were filled with tears, that caught the light in such a way Chief would've sworn they were jewels. "It's just that-" His sentence was cut off by a sob. The tears begun falling from his eyes. Chief felt pity well up in his chest. Seeing Arby like this now, Chief wondered what happened after he left. 

"Arby, what's wrong?" Chief tried to put on a soothing tone, but his panic and concern for his crush broke through a little. He couldn't bear seeing Arby like this. 

"It's ridiculous-"

"If it's hurting you, it's not ridiculous."

"But it is-"

"Arby."

"Well you see, I don't if the word exists in human terms, but I realised I might-" the rest of the sentence came out in Sangheili. Chief could hear the panic in his voice. 

"Cortana, what is he saying?" Cortana was suppressing a laugh. "Why are you laughing?"

"Chief, he's crying because he's in love with you and he's worried you don't like him back!" Cortana began laughing again. 

"Cortana, now isn't the time for jokes!"

"Your AI is telling the truth." Arby wiped the tears from his eyes. "I was terrified you'd laugh at me, and call me ridiculous for feeling like this about you! I thought it would ruin our friendship." Chief felt like he was dreaming. There was no way this was actually happening. He blinked.

"Arby... I- I love you too! Like a whole lot. I was scared you wouldn't love me!" Chief smiled at him. Arby hugged Chief, laughter mixed with the last remnants of his tears.

"I'm so glad about that." The two remained in that embrace for a long time. Cortana got bored of them quickly, and shut herself off. Chief had everything he wanted right here in his arms. He would never be able to fathom how lucky he was. Arbiter felt the exact same way about Chief. They were each other's joy, each other's love. And nothing would ever change that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is kinda scrappy eheh, I don't have any excuse. I hope you all continue to enjoy my work, i've started suffering burnout from writing these now [I've got about 8 other WIPS of these two I haven't posted] so it might be a while before the next update. Thank you all for 16 kudos now, I really appreciate them uwu. I hope to see more comments ;3  
> Catch y'all next time.


	6. When Push Comes To Shove

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Snow Ninja gave me a super detailed request for this one, and I obviously had to oblige.  
> Thank you so much for giving me back my motivation for this ship and please feel free to send me more requests to write, this one was so much fun to do!
> 
> As for the plot, basically Chief gets injured and Arby rushes to his defence.

Chief and Arbiter were currently locked in battle with Covenant Forces. A grunt approached Chief, shrieking something, clutching two familiar blue spheres in each of its hands. Chief quickly turned towards it and spammed bullets into its chest, watching its dark blue blood spatter across the dusty floor. He noted that the Arbiter was struggling in his own endeavour against a Jackal. He raced towards the duo, brandishing his assault rifle and blasting the Jackal's hand, destabilising it and allowing Arbiter to land the killing blow. A small nod was all it took for Chief to see the gratitude Arbiter held, and he turned back to his own battle.

He hadn't seen the charging Brute which appeared to his left.

"ARHHH!" Chief cried out as the Brute slammed into his body, sending him flying back against a nearby building. Chief collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily. He could feel blood trailing from the back of his head and noticed a few cracks had criss crossed up his helmet, limiting his vision slightly. He had dropped his weapon in the fall, and realised it was a way behind the approaching Brute. He would never reach it in time.

"I get to be the one that destroys the Demon! I will make the prophets proud!" The Brute roared, an excited edge lacing his tone. The Brute shot at him a few times with his Brute spiker, causing Chief to scream again and fall onto his side. He could see his own blood on the ground next to him, staining the cracks in his helmet and limiting his vision further. Chief panicked as he realised the Brute was standing above him, and noticed the Brute had switched to a Brute Shot to deliver the final blow to him. He tried to think of a way out, a way to stall for time. When nothing came to him, he submitted to his death. He closed his eyes in anticipation for the inevitable.

Yet it never came. An animalistic roar ripped through the air and he opened his eyes to see the Arbiter tackling the Brute away from him. The Brute grunted and fell to the ground, and he realised that Arbiter was standing above him protectively. His stance had a slightly inhuman look to it, like Arby had regressed to more primal instincts. He shouted something in Sangheili as the Brute got up and approached him again before initiating a tussle with him. Chief could only watch as the tangle of claws and screeching tore each other apart. He noticed that more and more blood was forming in the dust and that the Elite warrior was starting to look worse off. Without his energy sword in hand he was clearly beginning to struggle against his assailant.

The two fighters finally broke away from each other when the Brute caught its claws on Arby's thigh and dug them deep into him. Arbiter shrieked in pain and stumbled aside, blood surging from his newest wound. Putting pressure on his leg only cause pain to shoot through it and he realised it was broken. He swayed slightly before looking at Chief, who was still sprawled out on the ground to his right. He watched the ragged rising and falling of Chief's chest, seeing that the ground around him was only growing darker as he lost more blood.

The sorry sight caused new found energy to surge through Arby. He growled at the oncoming Brute before wrestling him back, away from Chief. Chief's safety was the only thing that mattered. The Brute staggered, but its eyes were focused on Arby's injured leg. Arbiter knew that the Brute could see his weakness clear as day now. He dodged away from it on his good leg, but it had predicted his moves and forced Arbiter to use both his feet. He roared in pain as the Brute shoved him to his knees.

Pain was making it difficult to think straight. The vision of Chief flashed behind the Arbiter's closed eyes again and he realised he absolutely could not allow the Brute to win. He was in love with Master Chief, and he couldn't just let them both die here. He couldn't die knowing he never told him the truth. Arbiter forced himself to his feet again, headbutting the Brute to get it away from him. The Brute shrieked in pain and stumbled back. Arbiter could feel his entire body shake as he gingerly placed weight on his bad leg. He had to win. He had to.

He noticed the cliff edge not too far behind the Brute and an idea formed in his mind. The Brute was getting ready to tackle Arby again, but Arbiter was ready for him. Arbiter summoned all the strength he could muster and shoved the Brute. The Brute staggered and almost lost his balance. The Brute then caught on to what Arby was trying to do and tried to scramble away from the cliff edge, kicking up dust. A gunshot sounded from behind them both and Arby turned and saw a UNSC Marine with a Battle Rifle in hand, taking shots at the Brute. The Brute cried out in pain and Arbiter ran towards it, taking advantage of the distraction and shoving it off the cliff edge.

A sickening crack was heard from below and Arbiter felt satisfaction swell in his heart. He had won. The vision of Chief came to his mind and he staggered away from the cliff, searching the dusty area for the Spartan. He finally saw him and began to hobble towards him. His head began spinning and it became hard to focus. His vision darkened a little but he had made it. He collapsed to floor next to Chief.

"I- I won... You're safe now..." His voice came out as hardly more than a whisper and he passed out. Chief reached out to Arby and grabbed his clawed hand before passing out himself. The UNSC found them moments later and hauled them apart, urgently racing them to the medical wing. 

When Arby awoke, the colour white overwhelmed him. He blinked to regain his focus, and realised he was in a UNSC hospital wing. He noticed the row of empty beds in front of him, one of them with slightly ruffled covers. His eyes then focused on a darker shape at the end of his own bed, and he realised it was Master Chief.

"You're awake at last!" Chief looked over at the alien and beamed. Arbiter then realised Chief wasn't wearing his helmet.

"Your helmet..." Arby trailed off.

"I don't have to wear it all the time, do I?" Arbiter reached out and grabbed Chief's hand.

"Are you alright?" Concern laced the Arbiter's voice. He remembered how ruined the hero had looked on the battlefield and felt shame crawl under his skin. How could he have let Chief become so injured?

"I'm fine!" The Spartan laughed at him. "I was more worried about you," His tone shifted to something more serious. "I thought you were going to die." Tears filled Chief's eyes and he turned away from Arby, pulling his hand out of the Sangheili's grasp.

Arby was taken aback. He had never seen Chief so emotional before. He placed his hand on the warrior's shoulder, desperate to offer comfort to him. They had survived, and that was all that mattered.

"Can I ask why?" Chief mumbled.

"Why what?"

"Why- Why'd you do that? You should've saved yourself." Chief turned to face Arbiter again, the earnest nature of his question held in the ice of his eyes.

"Promise you'll take the answer seriously." Was Arbiter's only words. His tone had also darkened, and it scared Chief.

"I promise." He looked at Arbiter, desperate for the answer he would give.

"It's because I love you. I couldn't bare seeing you hurt, couldn't stand it. I've felt this way for a while, but I knew the nature of the war we are in would not allow us time for these feelings, so I cast them aside. I guess they must've never left me." Arbiter hung his head, ashamed.

"I love you too." Was all Chief could muster. "I- I didn't want to see you hurt either, and-"

Arbiter hugged Chief, interrupting him.

"Chief-"

"Call me John from now on, yea?" From the way Arby's mandibles moved against his back, he could tell he had earned a smile from the Sangheili warrior. He pressed closer to the Arbiter's chest.

"My name is Thel Vadam," his voice was barely above a whisper. "In case you wanted to know."

They remained there a long time, just silently hugging, content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, a huge thank you to The Snow Ninja for requesting this one! If you wanna see their request, go back to Mirror Embrace and read the comment they left. I did go slightly off their prompt at some points, but hopefully they don't mind too much ;3  
> Thank you all so much for 21 kudos as well, I love that you are all enjoying this as much as I am. College hit me like a brick so I don't know when I'll next post something, but requesting specific stuff might increase your chances of seeing something sooner UwU  
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


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